Security
Ondo Amotekun debunks death, kidnap of leader
Contrary to insinuations, the Ondo State Security Network Agency known as Amotekun Corps has not lost any single element or officer in its bid to flush out criminal herders in the state.
The Corps Commander, Adetunji Adeleye made the clarification during a press parley with journalists in Akure.
Adeleye disclosed that no cross fire had occurred between the herders and the Corps men to necessitate the loss of lives as being speculated.
He explained that the Coordinator of the network in Owo, Sesan Adebayo who was alleged to have been abducted by herders is alive and at his duty post.
Adeleye who confirmed that two persons, a farmer and a vigilante were murdered by the criminal gang said four persons suspected to have burnt an operational vehicle and motorcycles of the Agency at Jugbere farm settlement in Owo have been arrested.
He also hinted that the suspects were not herdsmen, but arsonists and illegal miners who set ablaze government property or destroyed farm settlement in the area.
“On the issue of arrest, we arrested a number of suspects that are directly connected from the preliminary investigations with either kidnapping, illegal mining, armed robbery in the farmland and farm destruction.
“We’re working on that and in the appropriate time, they will be handed over to the relevant security agencies for further investigations and prosecution where necessary.”
Adeleye said that the coordinator of the operation in Owo, Sesan Adebayo was neither kidnapped nor missing as speculated in the media.
“In one of the operations that we’re involved in, it’s alleged that so many members of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps were killed.
” I want to say that not a single soul out of the ones I recruited died at any point in time. And specifically on the Owo Ute incident, no single member of the corps or officer died during this particular operation.
“There was actually no crossfire between the herdsmen and Amotekun Corps.
“So, the area where the crisis actually happened was predominantly occupied by the workers of this dastardly act. What I mean by that is some of them are either working as kidnappers or working as illegal miners. A good number of them also had their cattle destroying the farm settlement and the farm around.
“In the cause of the quarrel, they went to a nearby village and even set it ablaze and our vehicle happened to be parked around that same village which they set ablaze.